Blues Progressions & Variations Primer

Blues Progressions & Variations

Knowing how to play 12-bar, 8-bar and 16-bar blues opens up a whole world of opportunities to play music with other players.  By far the most commonly played (and widely known) chord progression is The Blues.  Plus, it isn’t just for “Blues” fans.  The blues is the foundation for Jazz, Rock and even Broadway musicals!

Where You’ll Start…

We’ll start by looking at the most common type of blues progression – the 12-bar blues.  This gives us a point of departure for understanding the 8-bar, 16-bar and quick-to-the-4 progressions.

Know and Hear Blues Influence

Once you learn to play all of the common blues progressions, you’ll have earned a seat at any blues jam :). But, with continued practice you’ll learn to recognize the different blues forms in popular music that you’re hearing around you.  Before long, you’ll *hear* the blues in lots of music where you might not expect to find it… including EDM and Country music (as well as Rock, Blues and Pop – where it has it’s widest influence).

When You’re Finished…

By the time you’re finished with this course, you’ll feel comfortable with all of the common blues variations.  You’ll understand how to play a blues in any key (because we study playing in all 12 keys).  Perhaps the most rewarding outcome will be that you’ll be able to sit down and jam with so many different musicians, practically anywhere in the world, and have a common musical template to start a musical conversation.